The postal administration of AFGHANISTAN asks me to inform you of the
following:

The Ministry of Communications of the Islamic State of Afghanistan is
responsible for all communications matters, at global and regional level, and
has been chosen to represent the Islamic State of Afghanistan within the
Union. It has, moreover, fulfilled its obligations as a member of the Union in
paying its contribution regularly.

Under the terms of article 5 of the Seoul Convention, it is the postal
administration supervised by the Ministry of Communications of the Islamic
State of Afghanistan which is empowered to print and issue postage stamps for
domestic and international mail.

The postal administration of Afghanistan also points out that, because of
certain problems, it has not been able to print or issue any new postage
stamps since 1989. Consequently, any postage stamps issued since 1989 are
illegal issues.

The postal administration of Afghanistan will supply the Union with copies
of any new postage stamps it issues.

Yours faithfully,

M S RAMAN
Assistant Director-General

UNIVERSAL

POSTAL UNION

Berne 13 January 2003

International Bureau Circular

2

Dear Sir/Madam

The postal administration of AFGHANISTAN asks me to inform you of the
following:

"Unidentified individuals have been seeking to discredit our country through
the circulation of illegal postage stamps.
"I would draw the attention of all Union member countries and all philatelic
partners to the fact that new postage stamps supposedly issued by Afghanistan,
such as the ones annexed to this letter, continue to be produced and
disseminated.
"As these stamps are inscribed 'AFGHAN POST', there is no doubt that they harm
the moral, religious and economic integrity of Afghanistan, as well as the
postal service and the Union as a whole.
"These stamps are, moreover, illegal. They have been issued without our
administration's knowledge and in violation of articles 6 and 25.2.3 of the
Universal Postal Convention, the UPU Regulations and the legislation of the
Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan.
"These stamps have no value as collector's items or for postal prepayment.
"Our administration wishes to alert all the postal administrations of Union
member countries, the philatelic community and collectors to the existence of
these illegal postage stamps and urge them not to accept these stamps as
postal prepayment or purchase them.
"The postal administration of the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan
would also be grateful if the postal administrations of Union member countries
would inform their philatelic partners of the existence and dissemination of
these illegal stamps and exercise increased vigilance in their respective
countries."

/ A list of the illegal postage stamps is annexed.

Yours faithfully,

K.J.S. McKEOWN
Director of Markets

Annex

Illegal postage stamp issues produced in the name of Afghanistan

Boats – Three horizontal miniature sheets of nine postage stamps each. Each
miniature sheet features different kinds of boats, and is inscribed "2000" and
"AFGHANISTAN". Each miniature sheet contains the following values: 10,000,
15,000, 20,000, 25,000, 30,000, 35,000, 40,000, 45,000 and 50,000. There are
other pictures of boats in the margins of each miniature sheet.

Horses – Two horizontal miniature sheets of nine postage stamps each. Each
miniature sheet features different breeds of horse, and is inscribed "2000"
and "AFGHANISTAN". Each miniature sheet contains the following values: 10,000,
15,000, 20,000, 25,000, 30,000, 35,000, 40,000, 45,000 and 50,000. There are
other pictures of horses in the margins of each miniature sheet.

Chess – Two horizontal miniature sheets of nine postage stamps each, each
depicting a different chess position, inscribed "2000" and "AFGHANISTAN". One
sheet contains stamps with a value of 20,000 each, the other stamps with a
value of 40,000 each. There are other chess images in the margins of the sheet.

Chess – One vertical miniature sheet of nine postage stamps, each depicting a
different chess position, inscribed "2000" and "AFGHANISTAN". Each postage
stamp has a value of 50,000. Other chess pieces are depicted in the margins of
the sheet.

Fauna – One horizontal miniature sheet of nine postage stamps, each depicting
a different member of the eagle family, together with a value and the
inscription "Afghan Post".

Fauna – Two vertical miniature sheets of nine postage stamps, each depicting
three different breeds of cat and inscribed "2000" and "AFGHANISTAN". The
values are 10,000, 15,000, 20,000, 25,000, 30,000, 35,000, 40,000, 45,000 and
50,000 AFG. Other cats are depicted in the margins of the sheet.

Fauna – One vertical miniature sheet of nine values entitled "CATS OF THE
WORLD". Each postage stamp depicts a different breed of cat, has a value of
3,000 AFG and is inscribed "Afghan Post".

Fauna – Two vertical miniature sheets of nine postage stamps, each depicting
three different breeds of dog and inscribed "2000" and "AFGHANISTAN". The
values are 10,000, 15,000, 20,000, 25,000, 30,000, 35,000, 40,000, 45,000 and
50,000 AFG. Other dogs are depicted in the margins of the sheet.

Fauna – One vertical miniature sheet of nine values entitled "DOGS OF THE
WORLD". Each postage stamp depicts a different breed of dog, has a value of
1,000 AFG and is inscribed "Afghan Post".

Fauna – One vertical miniature sheet of nine values entitled "FAUNA OF AFGHAN".
Each postage stamp depicts a different creature, has a value of 500 AFG and is
inscribed "Afghan Post".

Fauna – Two vertical miniature sheets of nine postage stamps, each depicting
various types of dinosaur. Each stamp is inscribed "2000" and "AFGHANISTAN".
One sheet contains stamps with a value of 10,000 each, the other stamps with a
value of 20,000 each. Other dinosaurs are illustrated in the margins of the
sheet.

Fauna – One vertical miniature sheet of nine postage stamps, each depicting a
different member of the owl family, together with a value and the inscription
"Afghan Post".

Fauna – Two miniature sheets, one horizontal and one vertical, inscribed in
the middle "Birds of Prey" and depicting various species of owl. There are
other species on each postage stamp. The postage stamps are in two strips of
three, at the top and bottom in the vertical sheet, and on the left and right
in the horizontal sheet. Each stamp is inscribed "AFGHANISTAN" with the value.
The horizontal sheet contains stamps with a value of 10,000 each, the vertical
sheet stamps with a value of 20,000 each.

Fauna – One vertical miniature sheet of nine postage stamps depicting various
species of eagles and owls. There are other species on each postage stamp and
on the margins. Each stamp is inscribed "AFGHANISTAN" with the year 2000 and
the value 20,000.

Fauna – Two souvenir sheets inscribed "Birds of Prey" and depicting various
species of owl. Another species is depicted on the postage stamp which each
souvenir sheet contains. Each stamp is inscribed "AFGHANISTAN" with the value
100,000.

Fauna – Two horizontal miniature sheets of nine postage stamps each. Each
stamp depicts a different species of bird and is inscribed "2000" and
"AFGHANISTAN". Each miniature sheet contains the following values: 10,000,
15,000, 20,000, 25,000, 30,000, 35,000, 40,000, 45,000 and 50,000. There are
other pictures of birds and their environment in the margins of each miniature
sheet.

Flora – One souvenir sheet containing a postage stamp depicting an orchid. The
stamp is inscribed "2000" and "Afghan Post".

Insects (beetle) – One horizontal miniature sheet of nine postage stamps. Each
stamp depicts a different species of beetle and is inscribed "2000" and
"AFGHANISTAN". The miniature sheet contains the following values: 10,000,
15,000, 20,000, 25,000, 30,000, 35,000, 40,000, 45,000 and 50,000. There are
other pictures of beetles in the margins of the sheet.

Paintings – Three vertical miniature sheets entitled "The impressionists" and
also inscribed "impressionists" at the bottom. The background of each
miniature sheet consists of a reproduction of a painting by the painter whose
portrait appears in a medallion on this background. The postage stamps are in
two strips of three, one at the top and one at the bottom of each sheet. Each
stamp is inscribed "AFGHANISTAN" with the value. The miniature sheet featuring
the paintings of Henri Matisse contains stamps with a value of 20,000 each,
the one featuring the paintings of Toulouse Lautrec stamps with a value of
30,000 each, and the one featuring the paintings of Vincent van Gogh stamps
with a value of 50,000 each.

Paintings – Three vertical souvenir sheets entitled "The impressionists" and
also featuring the name of the painter in question: Henri Matisse, Toulouse
Lautrec and Vincent van Gogh respectively. The background of each miniature
sheet consists of a reproduction of a painting by the painter in question.
Each miniature sheet contains a stamp inscribed "AFGHANISTAN" with the value
100,000.

Paintings – Posters – One vertical miniature sheet of nine postage stamps
entitled "INTERNATIONAL CLASSIC POSTERS", with the inscription "AFGHANISTAN".
Each margin also contains the inscriptions "SPORT – AUTO – CINEMA". Each
postage stamp depicts a poster promoting films, cartoons and various sports.
Each stamp is inscribed with the year 2000, "AFGHANISTAN" and the value
50,000.

Famous person – One vertical miniature sheet entitled "USAMA BIN LADEN IS
WANTED FOR $10000000". Each stamp features the same picture of Bin Laden, the
year 2001, the name "AFGHANISTAN" and the same wording as at the top of the
sheet. The value of each stamp is 100,000 AFG. The same image of Bin Laden
appears in the margins of the sheet.

Famous person – One vertical miniature sheet of nine postage stamps entitled
"Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997)", with the inscription "IN MEMORIAM" at
the bottom. Each postage stamp features a different image of the Princess of
Wales from her childhood onwards. Each stamp contains a value and the
inscription "Afghan Post".

Famous person – Three vertical miniature sheets entitled "ELVIS PRESLEY
(1935–1977)" and inscribed "AFGHANISTAN" at the bottom. Each miniature sheet
contains nine postage stamps. Each stamp features a different image of the
singer Elvis Presley, the year 2000 and the name "AFGHANISTAN". The first
miniature sheet contains stamps with a value of 20,000 each, the second stamps
with a value of 40,000 each, and the third stamps with a value of 50,000 each.
There are other pictures of Elvis Presley in the margins of each sheet.
Famous person – One block of four postage stamps. Each postage stamp features
a different image of the actress Marilyn Monroe and the name "AFGHANISTAN".
Each stamp has a value and the year 2000 at the top.

Famous person – Three vertical miniature sheets entitled "Marilyn Monroe
(1926–1962)" and inscribed "AFGHANISTAN" at the bottom. Each miniature sheet
contains nine postage stamps. Each stamp features a different image of the
actress Marilyn Monroe, the year 2000 and the name "AFGHANISTAN". The first
miniature sheet contains stamps with a value of 20,000 each, the second stamps
with a value of 40,000 each, and the third stamps with a value of 50,000 each.
There are other pictures of Marilyn Monroe in the margins of each sheet.

Famous people – Three vertical miniature sheets inscribed in the middle "Mother
Teresa" and "Jean Paul II" and featuring a picture of these two figures in a
medallion. The postage stamps are in two strips of three, one at the top and
one at the bottom of each sheet. Each stamp is inscribed "AFGHANISTAN" with
the value. Each postage stamp contains different images of Mother Teresa and
Pope John Paul II together. Two of the miniature sheets contain stamps with a
value of 50,000 each, while the third contains stamps with a value of 100,000
each. There are other pictures of Mother Teresa and John Paul II in the
margins of each sheet.

Famous people – One vertical miniature sheet of nine postage stamps entitled "THE
GREAT PEOPLE OF THE 20TH CENTURY", each featuring a different person. Each
stamp contains a value and the inscription "Afghan Post".

Fish – One horizontal miniature sheet of nine postage stamps. Each stamp
depicts a different species of fish and is inscribed "2000" and "AFGHANISTAN".
The miniature sheet contains the following values: 10,000, 15,000, 20,000,
25,000, 30,000, 35,000, 40,000, 45,000 and 50,000. There are other pictures of
fish in the margins of the sheet.

Sport – Two souvenir sheets with a background picture of a footballer and the
logo of the Korea/Japan World Cup. Each of these sheets contains one postage
stamp with a value of 100,000 AFG featuring another footballer and the name
"AFGHANISTAN".

Sport – Famous people – Four vertical miniature sheets of nine postage stamps
each entitled "FORMULA 2000". Each stamp contains the year 2000, the name
"AFGHANISTAN" and a different image: sporting vehicles in some cases, sporting
figures in others (in the latter case, the name of the person also appears).
The first miniature sheet contains stamps with a value of 10,000 each, the
second stamps with a value of 20,000 each, the third stamps with a value of
40,000 each and the fourth stamps with a value of 50,000 each. There are other
pictures of sporting vehicles in the margins of each sheet, along with the
names of various sponsors.

Vehicles – Three horizontal miniature sheets of nine postage stamps each. Each
stamp depicts a different species of old vehicle and is inscribed "2000" and
"AFGHANISTAN". The first miniature sheet contains stamps with a value of
20,000 each, the second stamps with a value of 40,000 each, and the third
stamps with a value of 50,000 each. There are other pictures of old vehicles
in the margins of each sheet.

Vehicles – Two souvenir sheets entitled "TRAINS". Each sheet features one type
of train and contains a postage stamp depicting another type of train. Each
stamp is inscribed "AFGHANISTAN" with the value 100,000.

More information about the illegal issues can be obtained directly from the
UPU, Mrs.Maria Libera.